Superhero movies are great, but I’m here for the mutant powers. When Disney first bought Marvel and started the ever-growing Marvel Cinematic Universe, some legal red tape prevented them from using certain characters and concepts from the Marvel Comics. Until 2019, Deadpool, X-Men, and Fantastic Four belonged to 20th Century Fox, which meant that mutants couldn’t officially be a part of the MCU. This is why, in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America used the phrase “enhanced humans” instead of saying “mutants.”
Now that Disney owns 20th Century Fox, mutants are on the menu. Although the X-Men team isn’t officially in the MCU yet, a new franchise is on the way. Meanwhile, mutants have slowly been sneaking into Marvel movies and even TV shows. Let’s review who has that special X-gene so far in the MCU.
The MCU Mutants
Ms. Marvel
Unlike the original comic books (where she is an inhuman), Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel is a mutant in the MCU. In Ms. Marvel, Kamala (Iman Vellani) seemingly has powers gifted to her through the use of her great-grandma’s bracelet. However, Kamala’s BFF Bruno reveals that her DNA contains a latent mutant gene that the bracelet must have activated.
Professor Xavier
The father figure of mutant kind is Professor Charles Xavier, also known as Professor X. As the leader of the X-Men, Professor X has appeared in many of the 20th Century Fox films. A variant of Professor X (Patrick Stewart) glided into the MCU in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Now that we know a variant existed, hopefully a more permanent version will soon follow in the movies.
Namor
Marvel comic books have often referred to Namor as “the first mutant.” In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Namor (Tenoch Huerta) is also a mutant with the ability to breathe on land and underwater, as well as fly. Plus other cool stuff, like enhanced strength, speed, and durability. Even though the MCU altered his origin story, the movie version of Namor remained true to what matters about the character. Unfortunately, due to those aforementioned rights issues, we probably won’t be seeing Namor in his own solo Marvel movie anytime soon.
Wolverine
Logan/Wolverine is one of the most popular mutants in Marvel and fans love him in the 20th Century Fox mutant movies. His sweet claws and quick healing factor make him a powerhouse. With the announcement of Deadpool 3, we know that Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is reuniting with Deadpool and officially entering the MCU.
Deadpool
In the MCU, Wade Wilson/Deadpool is a mutant. He had a latent X-gene that was activated during his torturous time with the Weapon X program. When Deadpool 3 comes out in 2024, the titular anti-hero (Ryan Reynolds) will usher in a new era of the MCU. He is bringing guns, a smart mouth, pansexuality, and the X-Men to the main storyline of Marvel’s superhero movies.
Possible Mutants
Mr. Immortal
In an episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Mr. Immortal (David Pasquesi) appeared as one of She-Hulk’s clients. The show made no mention of why he couldn’t stay dead, but Marvel comics list him as a mutant.
Ursa Major
Mikhail Uriokovitch Ursus, a.k.a. Ursa Major (Olivier Richters), appeared briefly in Black Widow. The character is a Marvel comic book mutant who can turn into a bear. In the movie, however, he is just a very large and strong dude who arm-wrestled the Red Guardian in prison. He may pop up again later as an official mutant, or he might not have been one at all.
Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver
Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) obtained their powers during HYDRA’s experiments with Loki’s scepter (the Mind Stone). They are not mutants. However, in an episode of WandaVision, we learn that Wanda (and possibly her twin brother) always had powers—which may mean that she is a mutant after all.
(featured image: Disney/Marvel)
Published: Mar 10, 2023 03:54 pm